Christmas Introspection
by Zoe-eoZ
Summary: a moment with introspective Daniel - and Vala, just a little fluff-ball... :


_disclaimer: no copyright infringement intended, all rights to their respective owners... etc_.

**just a little fluff for the hoildays :)**

He couldn't quite explain it, explain _why_, but every year when the holidays drew nearer, Daniel found himself thinking of Sha're. Odd, really, when he considered that they had never celebrated Christmas—or Chanukah—or any Abydonian equivalent to the holidays known on Earth. And still he thought of her, their happy time spent together. He remembered the contentment he had felt living with her and her people, remembered that strange ease that had settled between them, uncontroversial love and yes, devotion.

Maybe that was why he remembered it so clearly when the days were shortest, and the old year was nearly over. He'd always been one for reflections, after all, and sitting here now, at Sam and Jack's, staring over to where they sat laughing about something coming out of either Teal'c's or Cam's mouth—or probably Vala's, he couldn't help but wonder if he might have missed this had Sha're not…

They had been so happy. He hadn't missed anything back then. He hadn't.

He wouldn't have missed _anything_.

"Daniel." Jack's voice startled him out of his musings, and he nodded to his friend in acknowledgment.

"Jack."

There was a moment in which Daniel feared Jack might ask him, ask him what the matter was. It didn't last too long, a few seconds at most, and yet he was sure that Jack saw some of the things his mind was so absorbed in, then. He saw it, and didn't ask, good friend that he was.

Both men had their dark—and bright—spots occupying their thoughts at times, after all.

"It's Christmas, Daniel!" Jack said instead, nudging the other one's shoulder, "Stop that moody brow-furrowing. Come on, you don't want Sam to think the effort she's made is not paying off. Do me a favor and don't make her even crankier than necessary, her pregnancy is already doing its best to take care of that."

Daniel laughed at that, slowly pushing himself off of the doorway he had been leaning against, and raised the empty glass he was holding. "Right," he conceded, "I'll need another one of those eggnogs, though, if you don't want me to tell her you just said that."

Jack rolled his eyes, but took Daniel's glass nevertheless and headed to the kitchen; not, though, before mouthing: 'Brow!' and motioning for Daniel to "un-furrow" his.

Daniel himself hadn't gone more than a few steps, when he suddenly felt a warm hand on his arm, a light kiss on his cheek. And a painful slap right afterward.

"Ow, what…?" he made, cradling his smarting cheek while turning to the source of his pain.

Vala had appeared right next to him and now stood grinning brightly.

"Daniel, Daniel, Daniel," she scolded, pointing a finger at his chest, before taking his arm and starting to basically drag him with her toward the others.

"Hey. Hey!" he said, digging his feet into the carpet and thus making her stop along with him. She stared at him, eyes bright and shining. Not so much with mirth, though, there was something else…

"What?"

"What?! Vala? I'm on my way already, there's no need to…"

"Well," she made, fidgeting slightly, and he used the moment to take her in properly. She was glowing. With life, with energy, she was full of it. "They are all acting so… weird, Daniel! Cam and Dr. Lam were kissing in front of everyone. Even Sam and Jack were cuddling a minute ago, and you didn't even _see_ it! And Teal'c—well, Teal'c is Teal'c.—I want to be like that, too, Daniel—"

"Like Teal'c?" he couldn't help asking although it was all too clear what she really meant. He chuckled lightly, giving in to her urgency eventually and making to accompany her to their friends. Of course he had to ward off another slap to his face first.

"Daniel!" Vala huffed indignantly. "Not like him, like… _them_, cuddly and affectionate, caressing your body, and pushing my tongue between your—"

"Um, Vala… maybe not _quite_ like that, okay?" he said, knowing that he sounded like begging. And hell, he was. "Not in front of everyone?"

She just stared at him for a moment, taking him in now, too, right when Jack passed them by again and casually handed Daniel his drink.

"Look who decided to join us," Jack then announced to the others before slumping down on the couch next to Sam, gently putting an arm around her. She instinctively snuggled up to him more closely, never once stopping her conversation with Cam and Carolyn, although she did smile over to Daniel for a second.

"Daniel!" Cam called out, raising his eggnog-filled glass in a toast and nudging the ever rigid Teal'c to do the same with his glass. A little bemusedly, the Jaffa stared up at Daniel, then down into his glass. "Daniel Jackson," he finally muttered, and Daniel wondered whether his friend had actually given the eggnog a try after all.

Vala's warm hand in his, he and Vala eventually sat down on two separate chairs opposite Sam and Jack, and he couldn't stop a smile from spreading on his face when looking across to his friends. They were so happy.

As soon as they had sat down, Vala began to butt in with the others, never once taking away the hand she had rested on Daniel's thigh.

He couldn't help but stare at her again. She was so full of everything.

The time with Sha're had been great, one of the best. Had he wanted it to last forever?

Yes.

And yet, right now, right here, he wanted nothing other than this: Holiday season, with his friends, with Vala, who was so full of life, and love.

Because while she was full of everything, he was full of her.

He smiled at her, and, turning her head, dark hair whirling with the movement, she smiled at him.

That's what he'd see in the Christmas times to come. That whirl of hair, that spark in her eyes. The laughter of his friends.

And Sam's kitschy Christmas decorations.

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_Merry Christmas, and/or Chanukah everyone! Well, Happy Holidays :)_

_Thanks for reading, and reviews would be great, too, I gotta admit :)_

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